Western Flyer Restoration EP 27 Restoring a 1947 Flxible Bus: Wooden Boat
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 4 ธ.ค. 2020
- Episode 27 from a series following the restoration of the F/V Western Flyer In this episode, I travel to Salinas California to check in on the 1947 Flxible Clipper bus the Western Flyer Foundation is having restored. This bus will partner with the fully restored Wooden Boat Western Flyer when done. As a wooden boat builder of 30 years I'm amazed at the craftmenship used to rebuild this bus.
www.toddgravelle.com/
gravelleman...
/ chaseboatbuilder
westernflyer.org/
#westernflyer
#woodenboat
#woodenboatbuilding - วิทยาศาสตร์และเทคโนโลยี
We own and operate the sister bus to this. VIN might be sequential. Ours was driven East from the Warner Bros backlot in 1973 and parked in a barn in CT until 1997. We resurrected it and use it to Baseball Barnstorm with kids from South Philadelphia. Its done several 4-5,000 months summers. Weve been parked since 2020. Bus needs modernizing and freshening. Odometer is just over 100k. It had 78k when it came out of the barn. WB used these to transport cast and crew members to shoots within driving distance of Burbank. Ours had a lot of sand packed up underneath. Most likely saw locations that were way off paved roads. Best of luck with this project.
My favorite style of bus! ❤️👍
Perfect compliment to the Western Flyer. Certainly looking forward to both project updates.
Thanks
This gets cooler & cooler every time, thank you.
You are welcome. Thanks for Watching
WOW! Super cool bus. Great companion to the Western Flyer too and as always well done video documentation.
Thank you for Watching
Fantastic workshop, really look forward to the restoration. It will be a great experience to get picked up in the bus and then go out on the Western Flyer, I'm jealous!
It's a really cool shop, full of great family history. Todd's family has been in the area for over 60 plus years racing cars and fixing cars for most of that time. Thanks for Watching
Dang that old car shop is super cool. Love the skylights and windowed office looking out over the garage. Classy. Thanks for the video, cool stuff, fine workmanship
A humble craftsman doing amazing work in metal
Todd's is a fantastic craftsman. Thanks for Watching
Fantastic project! looking forward to following this. Thanks
Thanks
I think that the vintage bus is a brilliant idea on so many levels. It builds around the theme of vintage transportation. The kids and adults will LOVE it and add to the excitement. And it's a great bit of advertising / publicity in its own right. People who know nothing about the project will ask questions wherever you go. If the foundation needs a "company car", then possibly stay in the theme with a late 30s or early 40s car or station wagon. I love where the whole foundation is going!
Thanks for the input. and Thanks for Watching
`Wow what a clean shop the floor is immaculate
I love a clean shop, with a nicely painted floor. It shows real pride in what the craftsmen are doing. Thanks for Watching.
Looking forward to seeing how this bus turns out,🇮🇪👏🏼
It's going to be cool when she's done. Thanks for Watching
very nice man cave my friend,, God bless you and yours
I did like what I see as far as the bus goes. Some of the old cars are nice too. Thanks for responding
Thanks for Watching
this was a great idea and another part of history saved to boot
Thanks
That's so cool. The kids will be very lucky to ride in that bus. The really lucky ones will be those who get to take a trip on the Western Flyer.
Thanks for Watching
I have restored many vehicles in my life and continue to do so. That bus is a huge project in materials, labor hours, financial investment and taking up shop space that could be used on other paying jobs. The price of bringing that bus back to a restored condition will likely well exceed the completed projects resale value. Hope all involved are very clear on what your getting into. Wish you the best they are beautiful vehicles when properly sorted.
Bus Grease Monkey has relayed several vintage bus appraisals of $ 22,500 or so, no matter what was spent on the restoration. He points out it is a hobby not a living!
The bus isn’t meant for resale , it is for educational purposes .
@@billmoran3219 I'm all for beautifully restored vehicles. If the budget has no limits or concern for return on investment great. It will haul children in style. The coach will have all the looks and emissions of a antique vehicle without the safety performance of a modern one that would cost less. Sounds reasonable to me, the insurance will be cheap I'm sure.
Wonderful complement to the Western Flyer series. I hope you do the same type of videos, or even more in depth, for the bus. Both of the projects are beyond informative to my mind. I just want more about these builds please. I would even donate for the privilege via Pat........., Anyway thank you very much for these very well done videos that are presented by one of the best story tellers I have seen.
Such a cool idea and project.
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Love it. Way different style.
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Very cool idea with the bus. I would suggest you all contact a local school bus company and find out what the regulations are for hauling kids. Better to find out now then after you all built something.
I wonder about ADA compliance. Is there going to modifications for wheel chair access? There might be exemptions for non-profit organizations, but it would be a big problem if they had to add a lift.
That was interesting and I will certainly look forward to the restoration of the bus as well as the Western Flyer.
Thank you
What a great idea! Old boat, old bus! What could be better?👍✌️😊🙏🏼
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Cool old bus! 😊👍
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Cool side project, glad you are keeping the money in the community also.
Thank you. It is a cool project and we're all about the community.
@@WesternFlyerFoundationChannel lol
That was a cool detour! I assume the Flyer will be done first? Looking forward to seeing the bus restored. :-)
Thanks, The Flyer will be done and back in Monterey before the bus is fully restored and on the road. Thanks for Watching
I love the restorations of old Buses, if it were me I would use Dry Ice Blasters! Look them up it uses frozen Nitrogen and there is no Sand mess and no getting Water involved. I used to restore old FMC Motor Coach. Dry Ice Blasters are fairly reasonable with no pollution.
Hey, thanks for the tip. And Thanks for Watching
Good luck on this restoration.
I found Steinbeck & Ricketts so fascinating, reading the Sea of Cortez before going on a live aboard dive trip to the Sea of Cortez. And I've found a number of videos on youtube revisiting the history of Steinbeck & Ricketts and his lab. So interesting to learn more about their history.
They were a couple of cool dudes. Thanks for Watching
A good engine for the Flx Clipper is a 4-71 Detroit Diesel. That was an upgrade from the gasser that came OEM in those. By the way, I have driven old GMC highway coaches to Monterrey from Port Townsend, Seattle, Portland, Eugene, etc. Getting kids to the ocean in a classic bus is a trip! I think we even stopped at Big Sur to visit the Henry Miller memorial library on that trip.
Thanks for the engine idea, And Thanks for Watching
Now it makes sense. Anything to get the kids to learn.
Neat idea.
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cool project :D
Thanks
Very nice
Thank you
It does have it's challenges but compared to the Western Flyer a doddle . Still going to cost at least $ 500, 000 . Well , if l ever have the opportunity to make it across the pond this will be on the to do list ! Thanks Chris.
Hey, if you make it over the pond, you're welcome, after COVID to stop by the shop. Thanks for Watching
I’ve had some fantastic jobs in my career, but you have the best job I can imagine. So much fun. I would come out of retirement in a heartbeat for your job.
Thanks, Randy, all I can say is Hell yes, I have a fantastic job, cool people, and cool projects. Thanks for Watching
*The shrinking tool design and its concept friction heating for immediate cooling with a wet rag is most interesting. **11:13*
OMG, Salinas, really? Shoot, what an awesome shop, beautiful work! That bus is a work of art now, I’m sure, when he’s finished it will be a masterpiece! No offense here.....but how can you listen to the same music your whole life? There is a vast expanse of new music out there if you just give it a try. I’m 65 years old, I can’t believe it, but I am...and I jumped ship many years ago in regards to music into a whole new world of fantastic stuff! Japanese Breakfast and No Vacation are some of my favorites.....just a thought, have a wonderful day!
When I was a kid in the late forties, my family operated a Greyhound bus station in a small tone in WV. I remember riding those busses. As time went on they were delicate to local bus companies and then disappeared.
Thanks
A buddy of mine did a late 40's Flxible for a customer about 15 years ago. That bus originally was powered by a straight 8 Buick. However, the customer had repowered it with a 454 Chevy. It turned out real nice. The customer wanted to take trips with his cronies, but it never happened. I don't think it moved much after it was finished. It was auctioned off when he died.
Thanks for the input and Thanks for Watching
I remember these buses in Australia
3:04 Hey that's a clipper that was made in Australia! Which I think Flxible's clippers are quite iconic aren't they?🤔
*Curious. Transportation for youth getting to a distant tutorial. Smart.*
*But what caught my attention was the spinner disk to heat and shrink metal. Brilliant. Simple, Obvious, but not thought of.*
The shrinking discs have been around for many years. They basically replaced the torch, hammer quench method. Newer technology now uses a copper/carbon rod and electricity to shrink stretched metal and fix hail damage with the power PDR box .
It's old has heck, it's so old that we've started using other methods. Most recent acquisition my local shop got is an induction coil that heats stuff in seconds. The entire heat shrink process happens faster than you can say fish and a sizable, fish sized dent in a panel can be fixed in minutes.
Thanks for Watching, I hadn't seen metal worked like that ether, I guess it's pretty common.
A 1947 Flixible Clipper was shipped to Australia around that time as a prototype for the manufacturing of a fleet of Flixible Clippers for (later, Sir) Reginald Ansett (who had founded Ansett Airlines of Australia). It has been based in the South Australian regional city of Mt Gambier and is in almost mint condition; it is chartered for day trips around that area of the state. A head turner, indeed.
HOW is that workshop so clean?!!
Cool hot rod shop.
Super cool. Thanks for Watching
Your very welcome
cool bus to bring student to the flyer, maybe some old style overhead bins would be cool, and period correct movie posters looking like advert keeping with the bus's lineage
Thanks for Watching
Cool project , but given the length of time between boat videos it was a bit disappointing not to see more of the boat . Hope there is more then 1 guy working on the bus, that will take years. Good luck .
You must have missed episode 26 1/2 I put on TH-cam just two weeks ago. But don't worry I am working on episode 28 which should be up next Friday, and it's all about the boat. Thanks for Watching
👍
Hello I just subscribed to your group. I am very interested in the restoration of the 1947 FLXIBLE clipper. I plan to watch full detail of every step.
Hey thanks for joining us, hope you like what you see.
The bus should get the same colours as the Western Flyer!
I agree, Thanks for Watching
The tie in of the bus makes a lot of sense. I can see why the bus will be a very long term project and not inexpensive.
Thank you.
A lot of trouble, but a good idea. I'd ride it anywhere.
Thanks for Watching
The comment on the thickness of the metal made me thing, damn, this isn't a piece of history, this is a CHUNK of history. I wonder what the empty weight is.
Either way, this is an awesome project. Really cool idea and concept.
Thanks for Watching
That shop is way to clean.. Those projects have been sitting there for many moons :) which means that bus will take that guy 3 years or so.
Todd keeps a very clean shop, he has total pride in what he is doing and it shows in how he keeps his shop. I love a painted floor shop. Thanks for Watching.
@@WesternFlyerFoundationChannel I agree with you
So, Chris, are you going to call it the Flxible Flyer? It would be cool to give it the same logo as the sled company.
That's a good idea, "The Flxible Flyer" Thanks for Watching
The naysayers have chimed in but if we listened to them, nothing cool would ever get built. Go for it! BTW, Jay Leno's shop foreman restored a Flxible several years ago.
Thanks
Y'all need ("need".. i know.. hah hah!) Bus Grease Monkey to fine tune the 2 stroke Detroit diesel it probably has
They mentioned a new engine and I assume going to be registered in California, this might have to be re-engined with a "blue def" diesel to be compliant.
be good to see Bus Grease Monkey on this project
@@stephenlogan6902 For sure, that guy is great.
Cool project and thanks for helping us (who are here for the boats) understand more about The Western Flyer Foundation and what you guys are all about. Also thanks for showing folks wearing masks. I know it's weird to thank you for doing something so unrelated to what the video is about but it seems like people are reluctant to wear them on camera. For better or worse what we watch is influential and seeing folks wearing them is great!
(yes I am aware that lots of video was shot prior to COVID that we are watching now but there is also lots that is obviously from more recent time).
Thanks, Ben for the kind words.
So Nice 💘💘💘💘💘💘
Thank you
That's odd.. Todd's got the same little vocal inflections as Jesse James.. both panel beaters (and I use that term in the most complementary way!) and California guys whose passion is vintage American cars.
I’m glad someone commented that. As you, I didn’t want to insult anyone.
Todd's a cool dude, really happy I got to hangout with him. Thanks for Watching
That guy sounds EXACTLY like Jesse James, is that his dad ?
I noticed the same thing, sounds and kinda looks like him with a mask on!
I'll ask him in the next bus episode. Thanks for Watching
Swapping in a 2400hp Volvo Iron Knight engine sounds crazy but not foolish if used for diesel bus and truck drag racing. Other than that I thought it is cool to see a vintage bus speed greater than 150+ mph.
Cool project, but ya gotta wonder how long it will take. How would you like to be the owner of one of those unfinished cars in the shop wondering if he's ever gonna finish then one day drive by and see yet another project for him to work on.
Thanks for Watching
Cool idea but will a bus of that vintage meet modern safety standards? Makes little sense to restore it for your stated purpose if parents, school district brass, and insurance company won't sign off on kids riding in it.
School buses have actually changed very little from all those years ago, they don't have crumple zones, airbags, or even shoulder belts. Many studies have been done and show that just the school bus's mass protects kids nearly as well, and allows them to escape far easier in the event of a crash. I imagine Adding lap belts, some A/C and driveline with an automatic will be the only major changes they make.
they could probably buy 10 lightly used buses for the price of restoring this . If education is their main focus and transporting and access is the priority. yes the bus is cool and I love things restored but ... huge money.
Allison V-1710 for the power plant
I`m here for the boat not the bus, ah well,I will go along for the ride,
This bus is utterly gorgeous, and an immensely valuable accompaniment to the vessel, and each will help the other.
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What was that music at the end please?
Should have used a Western Flyer coach !
Could not be that same bus It was in Alfred Hitchcock it was a Flxible but a 1948, I own a 1950 Flxible bus Single chrome side (it was a Airporter bus with the words painted in the roof), the double chrome side is exposed to the inside (with interior trim panels removed) on the 1948 so that means they would have to cut out the body panels to install the extra stainless steel to modify when these buses were already produced this way in 1948. Also, the 1952 had the full width one piece section instead of the two-part chrome like 1948. I love busses and love watching good people that care to save them.
The era of art deco. Utterly cool.
I'm not a fan of the wet blasting with water. You then introduce moisture to every nook & cranny in a vehicle and that ain't good. I understand the reasoning vs a dry media, but still.
Thanks
Will you also video this
Walnuts
And green
Those are huge projects. Good luck. Is the bus going to be repowered by electric?
Hopefully not!
Gas or diesel, at this point in time electric, doesn't make good sense. Thanks for Watching
Well I for one will be looking forward to videos of the bus being built just like the boat 👍👍😍😍
It's going to be cool when she's done. Thanks for Watching.
Name the bus the Flxible Flyer!
I like it. "The Flxible Flyer" Thanks
Its very doubtful there will be schools as we used to know them in the future.
School trips? You mean in virtual reality 9f course
A wayward bus?
Thanks for Watching
Next please pin
Great idea with the bus, thinking outside the box, if help is need check out "The Bus Grease Monkey" here on TH-cam he is the specialist on silverside buses
Thanks
If it was driven then they do have the engine.
We have the old engine but will most likely re-power with something newer. Thanks for Watching
You know about the Bus Grease Monkey, don't you? He is a mechanic that works on just these kind of buses to keep them running, check out his videos - th-cam.com/users/avonpicturethis
Thanks for the tip. I'll check out his channel. Thanks for Watching
Hiya
there is one issue.. students have to be protected by buses built for student transportation.. impact resistance. this bus can be used for adult and NON school approved student transportation.
Thanks for the comment and Thanks for Watching
i have car sit to long long time. because I don't have mony. to restoration can you help me I'm from indonesia
The Western Flyer Foundation must have pretty deep pockets to be able to pay for the thorough restoration of an old bus, on top of rebuilding the Western Flyer. Is Jay Leno a sponsor?
I expect the bus is a "do it when you have time" job.
I used to work in a SAAB specialty shop, and I would always have an old Sonnet or 99 sitting in my back bay to work on when I got bored.
For some jobs, it was the only possible way to do a job in an affordable manner. My boss and I would negotiate a fair deal for time at the completion of the job. Some jobs would take up to a year to finish.
The Mercedes shop I worked was the same, though those would be old Gul Wings and the like. The customers could afford anything, so they got completed in a more timely fashion at a higher cost. For instance, I once pulled the engine, and stripped the entire engine bay on a '55 300SL, sent it to the body shop to paint the engine bay, then put it all back together (paint was dirty...). I only billed about 60hours instead of the 100+ hours had I worked on it full time. Took me about 8 weeks in my spare time, and added a nice bonus to my pay check.
Hey, Thanks for the comment, and thank you for Watching.
There you Go...
As I always said. " If you take 2 good ideas and put them together, you get a Great Idea!"
Go W F F @!!🇺🇸🎩🇺🇸
Thanks, And Thanks for Watching
maybe it could use a battery-electric power-train for some extra educational opportunities, if the range expected travel is not huge
what is next.. restore an airplane to get to the bus to get to the boat?.. This makes me feel that it is all just a "roll over to keep the cash flow going" Project... I am sorry if this sounded rude.. I was not meant to sound that way (but I needed to get my point across with out spending three paragraphs doing so).. but in this day and age.. Well you know what I am trying to say here.. Though I will finish watching the fabulous boat build and maybe the bus too.. it will be with a bit of a suspicious eye for awhile..
What’s the problem is it your money that’s being spent? It’s good project enjoy it and calm down. 🏴
@@johnkmcgregor5209 oh, my problem is just over sensitivities I guess.. I have to quit watching the news and reading the paper.. It is a good project for sure.. as for my money.. you can bet there is government grants in there some place so yes it is some of my money.. and yes I do need to calm down.. But what I need more than that is to just keep my mouth shut.. Sometimes it is just hard to.. A loss of self control.. but at my age.. I think I have earned a small right to exercise my opinion.. Beside no one really care what I think.. except you maybe.
@@tinkmarshino I'm getting on in age too, and it seems to me that many who get older decide there is no longer a need for them to be tactful or courteous, they can just be brutally "honest". Truth is that brutally honest is more often than not just bluntness, a sign that they've given up on kind ways to present their point of view, and nuance of thought.
@@truthurts1692 you know.. I think there is a lot of truth to that.. though I have never been one to "beat around the bush" When there is something that needs said I say it..But I find that sometimes lately my straight talk has a bit of a sarcastic ring to it.. maybe it is just that I have become so cynical as I watch the corruption every where.. At least when I was young they tried to hide it.. and made sure that every one had a piece of the pie.. today they don't care who knows they're corrupt they just feed every one with lies and dare them to prove them wrong.. I had such great hopes when I was younger.. but those of us from the 60's are worse than the "establishment" We were so critical of then.. Well can you understand a bit of my bitterness? are you old enough to know what I am saying here?
holy cow maybe you should go somewhere else ,,,,,we are full here
11:47 i used a torch, a dolly and a hammer. Its called tin canning
Thanks for Watching
Gonna get 'Bus Grease Monkey' in to work on the engine?
Thanks
As cool as this all is, am beginning to wonder about the enormous amount of money that it must be costing. If a bunch of retired artisans were doing it on a volunteer basis it would be great, but the price tag for these restorations must be running into many millions of dollars, and maintaining them won't be a bargain either. Looks the most expensive route possible is being taken toward the objective.
Love your channel but really not interested in a bus.
Hey glad you like the channel, we'll be back to the boat restoration real soon I just wanted to show the other side of the Foundation. Thanks for Watching
if your goal is to educate and get people to the boat, this I would think would be a waste of funds. stop the bs
Thanks for the input, and thank you for Watching
I agree..... seems that someone may be profiting off the surplus funds for this silly midlife diversion......Putting any donations elsewhere.....
@@davidromeu8181 they are always 'talking' about education and how this is their goal. sounds like another non profit scam at this point. like so many non profits these days. not really helping anyone but themselves. Tax write offs. I would have less of an problem with them funding restorations if they didn't always talk about how this is for education and helping the underprivileged.
Couldn’t agree more... this derelict bus will take piles and piles of cash to restore. Only those well over 50 (mostly men) think its cool. Probably could purchase several modern / safer busses if the goal was truly educational access for inland dwellers. Smells like BS. Must have a tremendous overflow of Western Flyer donations laying around. Wonder if they will disclose every Penney spent on this rusted hulk. Not cool for a foundation and its leader to use “but its for the children” to justify this wild expense. I think Ive seen this movie already, lost interest and I will unsubscribe immediately. I’d rather donate my time and money to the many other struggling wood boat projects out there........my two cents.....
@@davidromeu8181 i said that in another comment, exact same thing. for the cost of this restore, the amount of money could be used to 'educate' the kids' that they go on and on about. one old restored bus is going to drive all over the place picking up students? look I love restored car, trucks etc. but the constant emphasis on the kids, education, which is to solicit funding btw. grants etc. and pull on heartstrings of the public.$$$$$$$
Crabs use lungs to breath, so that "nature lover" just drowned that crab.
Is this supposed to be sarcasm or some attempt of a joke?
Try "loving nature" yourself before attempting to criticize others and making yourself look ignorant.
@@FiferSkipper What exactly are you trying to accomplish here? That crab just got killed by an ignorant do-godder. And you are attacking for, what exactly? And FYI, My whole lifestyle is based on gathering knowledge about nature, just to try to not harm it by deeds that seem good, but definitely are not.
@@oikkuoek Do you actually believe crabs need air to breathe?
@@FiferSkipper Crabs, unlike lobsters, have a respitory system similar to lungs. They eat and breathe on dry land. Two totally different species, with only similar outer looks, and even those aren't that similar when looked into detail. Science. Not a belief based system. Research, not a bible. I can recommend.
@@oikkuoek hey pal get real. Google crabs for better information than you have been given. 🏴